Apr

7

Ecuadorian Andes: Hacienda Zuleta

One of the highlights of the Backroads Ecuador Multisport trip is that we get to visit and stay at the amazing Hacienda Zuleta, former home of two Ecuadorian presidents and still a very successful working farm that has only recently opened up to tourism. Zuleta sits near treeline in the Andes (9500 feet) and this year at Zuleta I saw my first wild Andean Condor and even a Spectacled Bear! (photo below)

Wild Andean Condor!: Hacienda Zuleta, EcuadorWild Andean Condor!: Hacienda Zuleta, Ecuador

 

Zuleta participates in a condor rehabilitation program, and the wild condors like to check in on the captive ones to assert their dominance over the valley.

Read more »

Mar

25

Ecuador Cloud Forest : Upper Western Slope

For the second half of my trip I went up to the upper part of the Andes' western slope, starting with a visit to Angel Paz's Refugio Paz de las Aves reserve. 

Toucan Barbet: Refugio Paz de las Aves, EcuadorToucan Barbet: Refugio Paz de las Aves, Ecuador

 

The antpittas which the reserve is famous for were mostly hiding in their nests, but there were plenty of other birds to make up for it. I am especially fond of toucanets and quetzals-- I studied the central american varieties of both in the cloud forests of Costa Rica-- and Ecuador has many types of these stunning birds.

Read more »

Mar

19

Ecuador Cloud Forest : Lower Western Slope

Sometimes when I have time off from Backroads I go work in the jungle, but last month I was ready for a vacation, so instead I did a birding trip to cloud forests of the Western slope of the Andes. I dragged along my amazing Backroads coleader, Felicia; she's now at least an honorary birder! 

Green-Crowned Woodnymph: Mindo, EcuadorGreen-Crowned Woodnymph: Mindo, Ecuador

 

We started with the lower elevations, based in Mindo. Some of the best bird photography in Mindo can be found at the feeders, especially at Hostal El Descanso, where multiple species of toucan visit to plunder the garden for bananas.

Read more »

Feb

28

New Photos Up

Squirrel MonkeysSquirrel Monkeys

 

Lots of new photos up in the Amazon Gallery!

 

Feb

21

Amazon: Sani Lodge

I'll be here in Ecuador for about five months total, so I'm trying to keep busy on all fronts to keep things interesting. To that end, I recently wrapped up a graphic design project; I was comissioned by another Lodge along the Napo River, Sani Lodge to make a visitor map, which gave me the opportunity to visit a new site in the Amazon. Although just 45 minutes downriver from Sacha Lodge, Sani has several bird and animal species not found at Sacha, so while working on the map I found a few new bird species and took lots of photos. 

Many-Banded Aracari: Sani Lodge, EcuadorMany-Banded Aracari: Sani Lodge, Ecuador

 

Sani is located on a big lagoon that's much more seasonally flooded than Sacha, and they had an impressive abundance of waterbirds, including lots of kingfishers.

Read more »

Jan

20

Amazon: Sacha Lodge

Besides the Backroads trip I'm leading this winter, Im also very happy to be doing some guiding back at Sacha Lodge in the Amazon. It had been a while since I had a group there, but everything came back pretty quickly and I had some great luck on my last trips.

Among my favorite birds at Sacha are the stunning Crested Owls, of which several pairs have day perches around the reserve. I was glrateful to get another shot to try and do these birds justice in a photo!

Crested Owls: Sacha Lodge, EcuadorCrested Owls: Sacha Lodge, Ecuador

 

We got good looks at a number of cool birds last week, including a Chestnut-capped Puffbird along Anaconda Creek and a male Amazonian Umbrellabird from the kapok tree tower.

Read more »

Dec

8

Israel

Although my first visit to Israel was only a quick tease of a trip, it was still long enough to fall in love. We flew into cosmopolitan and progressive Tel Aviv, where Seth, Jared and I met up with our good friend and incredible host Brian, and we fit in as much as we could in our whirlwind visit.

Jerusalem is only a 45 minute drive from Tel Aviv, but the two cities could not be more different. Though people in Tel Aviv scoffed at super religious Jerusalem as a "graveyard," I found it stunning and very lively. With so many holy sites on top of each other and the quiet throngs of religious pilgrims crowding the narrow alleys, the whole scene of the old city left me in awe.

Sisters watch from a distance as men pray at the Western Wall: Jerusalem, IsraelSisters watch from a distance as men pray at the Western Wall: Jerusalem, Israel

Read more »

Nov

30

Istanbul

After finishing my season in Spain I made my first trip to Eastern Europe. My first stop, not exactly intentional, was a 24-hour layover in Latvia (in preparation for which I looked up "Latvia" on wikipedia and learned that: Latvia Listeni/ˈlætviə/ is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe.) It was cold. 

After a quick flight on air Baltic I made it to Istanbul, where I met my friends Seth and Jared and did a whirlwind tour of the ancient city. Things I learned: 

Medusa's Head: Basilica Cistern, IstanbulMedusa's Head: Basilica Cistern, Istanbul

Read more »

Oct

30

Winter 2012...

Marine IguanaMarine IguanaThis winter I will be heading back to Ecuador, this time leading trips for Backroads in the Andes and the Galapagos! I'm really excited to be returning to South America, and for the first time with my new camera. Check out my photos from the Galapagos Islands in the Galapagos gallery or visit the Backroads website for details on the Galapagos and Andes Multisport trip.

Oct

27

Spain

Monells, Emporda, SpainMonells, Emporda, Spain

 

I just wrapped up a great Fall season in Catalonia, Spain. The Backroads Spain biking trip starts just below the balcony of our Spain leader house in Pi, a little mountain village just a short bike ride from the French border.

Read more »